As this newsletter goes to press the Presidents commission on Postal Service has made its recommendations to the president and congress. Two hundred and eight pages many of which will have a negative impact on all letter carriers.

The commissions recommendations undermine the right to engage in meaningful collective bargaining, which threaten wages, benefits and the economic security of all postal employees. Prior to the strike in 1970 postal workers could not negotiate wages and benefits, we were at the whim of the President and congress to grant pay increases. It took an act of congress then and it will take an act of congress now. If congress is going to act we must let our congressional leaders know where we stand on this important issues to letter carriers and all postal workers. Im sure there are some recommendations that we could support but those that take away rights already bargained for we will have to fight for again. Its now time for each and every one of you and your family members to be ready to act by contacting your legislators. President Young has asked branchs to get e-mail addresses of letter carriers to be used as a means of letting carriers know what and where this issue is headed. If this report doesnt get your blood boiling nothing will. Its not up to the union leadership to act its up to each and every one of you; you have the votes not the union.

A special thanks to Jane McCauley and her picnic crew for a job well done. One guy whose effort gets overlooked from time to time is Johnny Jones. He quietly does all the little things like pick up the rental truck, load the supplies and most importantly he gets the permit for the park.

CARL ROHRMANN

CARL ROHRMANN

RECORDING SECRETARY

RETIRED - SCARSDALE POST OFFICE

Former Shop Steward

Now that the Presidential Commission has issued its report, it is up to Congress to legislate any or all of their proposals into law. Some of these proposals are beneficial to letter carriers, some definitely are not. By providing the union with your E-mail address, you will enable the NALC to immediately notify you of pending legislation that might adversely affect your salary, benefits, retirement rights, etc. Those who wish to cripple the Postal Service will certainly contact members of Congress. The question is whether letter carrier will.

Below is a list of all the offices we represent, the number of carriers in each office, the number who have provided the union with their E-mail address, and the percentage of carriers in that office who have done so. While we realize not all members have E-mail addresses, we hope that those who do will contact the Union office at 914-736-6300 and provide their E-mail address so that we may notify the NALC in Washington. Hey! Its your job and your retirement!

ARDSLEY(1 0) - 1 0%

ARMONK(12)- 18%.

BEDFORD HILLS (7) 00%

BUCHANAN (4) 250%

BRIARCLIFF (16) 5 - 31%

CHAPPAQUA (23) 00%

CROTON (18) - 739%

DOBBS FERRY (16) 00%

ELMSFORD (14) 00%

HARTSDALE (24) 00%

HAWTHORNE (9) 00%

IRVINGTON (12) 325%

KATONAH (7) 343%

LARCHMONT (30) 6 20%

MONTROSE (4) - 1 - 25%

MOUNT KISCO (16) 5 31%

OSSINING (35) 12 34%

PEEKSKILL (48) 35%

PLEASANTVILLE (17) 8- 47%

PURCHASE (S) 00%

RYE (32) 5- 16%

SCARSDALE (85) 1- 1%

SOMERS (8) -3-37%

TARRYTOWN (26) - 12- 46%

THORNWOOD (6) -0-0%

VALHALLA (9) 00%

WHITE PLAINS (135) 29 21%

YORKTOWN (27) -0-0%

RETIREES (250) 7- 3%

BRANCH ELECTION NOTICE

This is an official notice to members of Westchester Merged Branch 693 that in accordance with Article 5 of the National Constitution and Article IV of the branch bylaws, nominations for the following offices for a term of three years, will be held at the regular meeting on November 18th at the Union office, 6 No. Division Street, Peekskill, NY, beginning at 6:15 PM:President, Executive Vice-President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant-at-Arms, Benefits Representative, and five Trustees.

Nominations for delegates to the 2004 National Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, will also be held at this meeting.

If an office is contested, the election will be held by secret mail ballot with full balloting instructions provided.Ballots must be returned to the address designated on the return envelope and received by twelve noon, December 9th.Ballots will be tallied and results announced at the December 9th meeting.

Carl Rohrmann, Recording Secretary

RETIREES CLOSING IN ON 65?

As a former Postal employee, a Retiree is already in Medicare Part A.When you reach sixty-five you have the option of enrolling in Medicare Part B.In fact, the window for signing up is seven months; three months before the month of your birth date and three months after.

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover your doctors services, outpatient hospital care, and some other medical services that Part A does not cover, such as physical therapists, home health care, etc.Your payments will be taken out of your annuity check.

If you do not receive a Social Security check, and some members in the Civil Service Retirement System do not, you might ignore the notice that Medicare will have sent you when you near eligibility.If you do, and decide to enroll in Medicare after your initial eligibility period, you will be charged a 10% penalty for each year you could have enrolled and did not.

Whatever decision you make, make it an informed decision.Find out what your rights and obligations are concerning Medicare by ordering the free booklet Medicare & You 2003.Just call 1-800-MEDICARE and it will be sent to you.

STILL GETTING AN INVOICE FOR A LETTER OF DEMAND?

In 2000, this Branch filed over forty grievances concerning Letters-of-Demand

that the Postal Service issued for either a T-6 overpayment or an inaccurate contractual Lump Sum payment.In all these grievances, the Union asked management to document how they arrived at the amountthey billed the carriers.In a Step 3 decision on May 13, 2001, the Postal Service withdrew all the Letters-of-Demand without prejudice to managements rights to reissue the demand and to provide documentation in support of the demand.

It now seems that carriers are periodically receiving invoices for the payment ofan amount listed as over ninety days past due.This isgrievable.

We just won a decision where management was told to contact Accounting Service .RESCIND the invoice and ABSOLVE the DEBT.

If you are still receiving invoices for the 2000 Letters-of-Demand, see your steward and have a grievance filed.The old letters were withdrawn;if management still wants the payment they have to reissue the letter-of-demand.Until they do, those invoices are invalid

POSTAL RECORD

If you are not receiving the Postal Record, call the Union office.I recently found out that if the magazine is returned to the NALC as undeliverable, a code is put in the computer and it will no longer be sent to that address.National does not tell us who is not being mailed the Postal Record, so unless you tell us,you will not get it and we will not be able to correct the situation.

Quick Facts About the NALC

MEMBERSHIP

There are 304,734 active and retired members of the NALC, of which about 214,042 are active city delivery letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service.

BRANCHES

There are slightly more than 2,600 local branches representing letter carriers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam.

The NALC was founded on August 30, 1889 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the union of city delivery letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service. The union is observing its 113th year in 2003.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

The 2001 - 2006 National Agreement with the U.S. Postal Service expires November 20, 2006. The National Agreement was ratified in May of 2002 with an 88% approval vote. On June 26, 2002, President Vincent R. Sombrotto and Postmaster General John E. Potter signed the new five-year agreement.